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Dr Helen Kerr
School of Nursing and MidwiferyDr Kerr's research interests are in the broad field of oncology and palliative care. The main focus of recently completed research is the transition from children's to adult services for young adults with life-limiting conditions.
Current research is focused on the acceptability and usefulness of a Healthcare Passport to young people with life-limiting conditions. Further research relates to exploring the use of mobile spaced learning as a digital platform in teaching symptom management in the undergraduate nursing programme.
Contact info
Research opportunities
Open to PhD applications in the field of
- Interventions and evaluations to improve the transition from children’s to adult services
- Educational interventions for teaching symptom management in undergraduate nursing programmes
Public outreach & key achievements
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2019: Secured Burdett Trust for Nursing small grant award
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2018: Successful team application for the Martha McMenamin Scholarship
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2017: Winner of the International Journal of Palliative Nursing 'Researcher of the Year' award.
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2016-2017: Awarded competitive national Florence Nightingale Foundation Travel Scholarship.
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2016-2017: Led in the organisation and delivery of an all-Ireland ‘Transition Workshop’ for service users and service providers in 2016.
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2016: Royal College of Nursing Northern Ireland Nurse Researcher of the Year, runner up.
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2015: International collaboration with researchers at the University of Toronto and
clinicians at the SickKids Children’s Hospital, Toronto on the transition from children’s to adult services.
Research students
| MSc Title | Is there a discordance between actual prognosis and prognostic awareness in patients with advanced cancer? |
| Name | Sara Mone |
| Year of Study | 2017-2018 |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
Alumni: Where are they now
| MSc Title | To explore the perspective of patients with a diagnosis of serious and enduring mental illness in relation to their physical health |
| Name | Paula Maguire |
| Year of Study | Completed Masters in Nursing in 2015 |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| MSc Title | Nurses responses to terminal restlessness in the last 48 hours of a palliative care patients life |
| Name | Ruth Neville |
| Year of Study | Completed Masters in Nursing in 2012 |
| Country | Northern Ireland |